The proliferation of networking and telecommunications equipment has increased the need for a variety of different electrical connectors. Housings are currently installed into the outlets or ports of a variety of different base products such as patch panels, surface mount boxes, modular furniture plates, face plates, etc. to aid in the connection of networking and telecommunications equipment. The housings have an opening in the back so that when the housings are inserted into the outlet of a base product the housings allow cable feed-through access. The housings commonly have a cantilever latch or some other sort of latch such that when the housing is inserted into an outlet it latches to the outlet and is thereby secured in the outlet.
Housings may be installed into the outlets of these base products for both future expansion and for current cable feed-through access. There are two variations of the basic housing. In the first variation, the housing has a flush front wall and is inserted into the outlet of a base product for future expansion of the outlet and is primarily used as a space filler. The flush wall prevents dust from collecting in the opening until the outlet is ready for use. In the second variation, the housing has a cable feed-through hole in the center of the front wall for mounting a connector and is used for existing outlets. The cable feedthrough hole with the connector mounted therein allows cables to feed through the housing.
A widely used prior art housing, currently used in the electrical connector industry, consists of a backward C-shaped housing having a front wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall extending rearwardly from the front wall. The prior art housing also has an opening in the back and a cantilever latch extending from the top wall. A disadvantage of this type of housing is that it provides insufficient support in the back of the housing. The bottom wall and the top wall of the housing bend very easily, due to the lack of support in the back of the housing, and therefore the housing may easily pop out of the outlet of a base product. Since adapter housings have a tendency to pop out of place, extra time, effort, and money is needlessly expended attempting to secure and re-secure these housings into their respective outlets.
In view of the above, it should be appreciated that there is a need for an adapter housing for connectors that provides the advantage of having sufficient support at the back of the housing such that the housing may be securely retained within an outlet of a base product. The present invention satisfies these and other needs and provides further related advantages.